


Fairytale

by dreamyloner



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Magic, Arranged Marriage, Crossdressing, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Forced Relationship, IceHong, M/M, Omega Verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2017-04-27
Packaged: 2018-08-11 16:56:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7900588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamyloner/pseuds/dreamyloner
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leon is a reclusive omega prince who is usually outshone and forgotten by his family. One day, his sister elopes with the prime minister. His father and brothers decide to disguise him as her. For the time being, Leon has to replace Mei and marry the prince from the Kingdom of Ice. He is not so pleased with the idea.</p><p>Omegaverse. Human/Magical Kingdom AU. Crack fic.<br/>Pairings: Emil/Leon, Mathias/Lukas, Kiku/Mei</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not gonna lie. This is probably a rather silly fic XD I have never tried to write in this genre. Since it is a "fairytale", the language must differ from my usual stories. I have only finished one chapter at the moment and am not sure if I should continue this crack thing or not (my holiday is ending soon anyway). If someone seriously wants to read this, I might consider continuing it, even if my tight schedule forbids me XD Just tell me what you think.

There was once a small kingdom in the East. It was ruled by a respectable emperor named Wang Yao. The man ascended the throne when he was fifteen. Being an intelligent and competent ruler, he was able to guide his kingdom towards prosperity. The Kingdom of Fire established prominent and cooperative ties with the neighbouring countries. The trades flourished because of cheap labour and low tariffs. Soon, the kingdom became one of the leading providers of fake goods around the globe. Emperor Yao despised wars so he would strive to retain peace in his own little realm.

Despite his age, Emperor Yao made himself look like he was in his early twenties with ancient Chinese magic (It was a secret recipe which he refused to tell anyone). He had amber eyes and long, black hair which he usually tied in a neat ponytail. He had an appealing appearance. Because of his feminine features, many mistook him for a girl. There was also a childish side of him which never faded however many decades passed. He was infatuated with adorable things like plushies and pandas. “Cuteness” was his charm.

Emperor Yao’s beauty attracted suitors from various places. Even after they realised that he was an alpha, they continued courting him. Emperor Yao eventually married according to his parents’ wills. He was betrothed to a beautiful omega princess from a foreign country. Unluckily for him, the queen died after their first son, Cheng, was born. Yao married again. This time, the second omega queen gave birth to a daughter, Mei. The mother, too, died soon in a disease. Devastated, Yao married again. The third queen gave birth to a boy named Yong Soo. She died on a voyage when the ship encountered a fatal storm. Slowly losing hope, Yao married yet again. This time, the beta queen granted him a son named Leon. She didn’t die, but she fled with a French ambassador during a royal ball and was never seen again. Yao later met a princess from a northern kingdom, namely the Kingdom of Snow. Princess Anya fell in love with Emperor Yao at first sight and was determined to make him hers. She resorted to her father, King Winter, and proposed a marriage between the two countries. Yao took the offer because he reckoned Anya might be able to mother his children. The two got married and fortunately stayed together for years.

As much as Emperor Yao doted on his kids, he had great expectations of them. He was extremely proud when his firstborn, Cheng, turned out to be an alpha. Cheng was tall and charming. He had brown hair and inherited Yao’s amber orbs. He combed his bangs to one side and wore a pair of glasses. He was smart and calculating. He never needed a lot of time to learn. His calmness and maturity pleased Yao as the boy never broke a rule and was always loyal to his father. He also cared a lot about the poor and was constantly suggesting policies that could ameliorate poverty in the kingdom. When Cheng reached fifteen, he was able to take over the majority of works in his father’s place.

Mei was a gorgeous beta girl with long, wavy hair and dark orbs. She, too, was intelligent and kind-hearted. She was very skilled at arts and grew up to be an elegant princess. She tried not to disappoint her father. Nevertheless, she had a dream of her own. She sometimes felt caged in her royal life and demanded more independence. For this reason, she constantly bickered with Emperor Yao, who was very protective of his kids.

Yong Soo was a very optimistic and energetic boy. Like his siblings, he had dark brown hair, but a weird flyaway curl stuck out on the right side of his head. He was tall and handsome. He was loud and talkative. He never hesitated to voice his opinions. He loved playing pranks on his siblings, flirting with girls and groping the servants. He got into trouble frequently, but Emperor Yao always forgave him because his cherubic personality reminded him strongly of his deceased wife. Yong Soo grew up to be a strong, confident alpha.

Now, Leon wasn’t so lucky. He looked plain and ordinary. He did inherit his father’s traits but he took after his mother’s thick eyebrows. Emperor Yao remained bitter about his fourth wife’s unfaithfulness. At one point, he wanted to disown Leon and make him live with his uncle, King Arthur, from the notorious Pirate Kingdom instead. After sending him away for seven years, however, Yao felt guilty and realised that it was never Leon’s fault to begin with. Therefore, he retrieved his son and now the teenage boy returned to his family. The boy was rather introverted and reclusive compared to his siblings. He didn’t speak much. He worked hard to gain others’ attention, but no matter how much he tried, he could never outshine his brothers. He could never be as brilliant and distinguished as Cheng; as stunning and gracious as Mei and as cheerful and lovable as Yong Soo. This fact alone made him a somewhat pessimistic being. Therefore, to avoid trouble, he simply stayed out of things. Emperor Yao never bothered much with him, especially after he learnt that his youngest son was an omega.

When Leon was fifteen, both his brothers were already working for their father. All they ever discussed at meals were politics and international affairs. Leon wasn’t allowed to join them because Emperor Yao doubted his competence and also because of his status as an omega. In a world of hierarchy, omegas were presumably the lowest rank of beings. They only existed to mate with alphas and reproduce. During his heats, he was locked inside his own chamber for protection. When he was allowed to go out, he would hang around the palace and mind his own business. He did have a thing for firecrackers and explosives. He would do his little experiments in the botanic garden. No one minded him and he was glad that he was alone. He didn’t like politics so he didn’t feel bad about not being able to interfere with the kingdom’s issues. Although he was ignored most of the time, he was still a prince. Whatever luxury he desired, he was granted. He also had a gigantic stuffed panda to hang out with.

One day, he caught his sister sobbing miserably in her chamber. He knocked on the door and being a sweet boy he was, asked if she was alright. Although Mei was always busy attending proms, she treated her little brother fairly. He was worried to see her cry.

“Oh Leon, I’m going to leave very soon,” she wept and hugged him. “I don’t want to marry him!”

“Who?”

“I don’t even know his name!” she cried. “Father arranged it! I have no choice!”

It turned out that Mei was betrothed to the prince from Ice Kingdom.

“I haven’t even met him once!” she grumbled, wiping all her snot on Leon’s shoulder.

Leon frowned and stroked his sister’s back.

He didn’t know how to respond to her rants because marriage sounded like a distant concept to him. He was damn sure no one would want to marry someone like him.

“I’ll miss you terribly,” she said.

“Maybe he’s, like, not that bad?” Leon tried to comfort her.

“But I don’t love him!” Mei said. “I’m already in love with someone else!”

“Oh.”

Leon wrapped his arms around his sister to reassure her. He felt bad that she had to marry someone against her will. Yet, he couldn’t do a thing to help. Emperor Yao was very stubborn. They could never rebel against him.

He could only wish her luck and prayed that the prince she was going to marry was some decent guy.

Unfortunately, he never saw her again because that night, Mei ran away. She eloped with the prime minister, Kiku Honda. The two evaded the palace and disappeared into the night.

Emperor Yao was enraged. Once he learnt of his missing daughter, he vowed to hunt down the two pitiable lovebirds and punish them. He dispatched teams of people to look for her.

“Aiyah! What a pain in the neck!” Emperor Yao croaked. “How could she do this to me?”

“Father, I’m sure she will come back very soon,” Cheng said calmly. “She is just throwing one of her tantrums.”

“What if she doesn’t come back?” Yong Soo asked.

Emperor Yao gasped.

That was a real, serious question. They had struck a marriage deal with the Kingdom of Ice. The deal brought along trade benefits and financial cooperation. If it was broken, the other kingdom might grow hostile and wage a war against them.

“Wǒ de tiān ah _(My God)_! This marriage is super important!” Yao cried. “If they don’t get a bride, they might come after us and invade us!”

“Oh no, what should we do now?” Yong Soo asked.

“The wedding is tomorrow!” Yao said.

“We won’t be able to find Mei in time,” Cheng analysed.

“Should we postpone it?” Yong Soo suggested.

“Not a good idea,” Cheng said. “They will know something fishy is going on.”

“What should we do then?”

The three men exchanged glances contemplatively. Leon sat quietly in one corner reading his book. Yao glimpsed his forgotten son and snapped his fingers.

“Ah I know!” Yao exclaimed, “We find a substitute!”

“What?” Cheng and Yong Soo stared at their father dubiously.

“We need to find someone to replace Mei while we’re looking for her.”

“You mean someone to disguise her da-ze!” Yong Soo smiled.

“Exactly!”

“But we don’t have anyone who looks like her,” Cheng argued.

“If we must pick someone, then it has to be…”

The three men all turned around and glanced at Leon. The boy slowly looked up with a blank face.

“Leon!” Yao raced to embrace his son.

Now, Leon was totally frightened. He had never received this much attention in his whole damn life. Even while he was living with his uncle, King Arthur, he was usually cast aside in one corner, which was actually a pleasant thing because otherwise, Arthur would force him to do English grammar exercise or try his poisonous homemade scones. His two brothers gazing at him expectedly made his heart thump faster than when he was trying out bungee-jumping on the palace’s roof, which he miserably failed and ended up with a broken arm and a sprained ankle.

“Oh my dearest son, you’re our only hope now!” Yao said and rubbed his cheek against Leon’s. The boy frowned and attempted to shove his suddenly affectionate father away.

“Leon, you’re the perfect solution!” Cheng pointed out.

“Yea, you can disguise yourself as Mei since you resemble her the most!” Yong Soo echoed.

“And you’re an omega! Easy to trick them with your scent!” Yao said. “It should be fine!”

“Really.”

Leon scowled and stood up. He slammed his book and glared at the other three men. “What, like, makes you think that this is even possible? Aren’t we, like, already infamous for producing so many fake goods? If they know that the bride they’re taking is also a substitute, I’m sure as hell they’re gonna, like, start a war with us.”

“If we don’t find a substitute, we’ll go into a war for sure!” Yao said. “You wouldn’t want to ruin this kingdom, right?”

“Oh Leon, this is the sole way out that benefits us most,” Cheng said.

“It’s just a disguise da-ze!” Yong Soo said. “We’ll swap you with Mei after we find her!”

“You guys don’t, like, even understand,” Leon said. “Mei ran away because she doesn’t want to marry someone she doesn’t love. And you are, like, forcing her into this. She couldn’t stand it so she left.”

“It’s her duty as a princess!” Yao said. “She is now running away from her responsibility and endangering this entire kingdom with her selfishness. I will not allow so. She must come back. But for now, we really must need your help, Leon.”

“We’ll just have to dress you up a bit, put on a wig or something. Then all is good da-ze!” Yong Soo clapped, seemingly satisfied with the thought.

Leon stared at his family in disgust.

“It’s about time you do something for this kingdom!” Yao added. “I know you’re a good son.”

“Please do consider our situation, brother,” Cheng said.

“What if, like, they find out?” Leon raised his eyebrows.

“Oh they won’t! Because you only have to go through the ceremony. I’m sure after that we’ll have found Mei!” Yao assured.

“Oh…um…” Leon frowned.

“That’s settled then!” Yao jumped mirthfully around the hall. “Let’s prepare for tomorrow’s wedding! Nothing should go wrong or we’ll lose trillion dollars of trades!”

“Hurrah!” Yong Soo joined in the cheer and the two scampered out of the hall.

“Are you, like, sure this is gonna work?” Leon asked Cheng quizzically.

“It should,” Cheng smiled faintly and patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry too much, bro.”

And so reluctantly, Leon agreed to tag along with his family’s tactics. They gave him a wig that resembled Mei’s hair. They put on massive make-up on his face and dressed him in traditional Chinese styled clothing. The red wedding gown was sewed with golden threads and had sophisticated patterns of flowers and dragons. It reached down to his ankles and showed off his rather slender curves. They stuffed fabrics between his chests to make them look like breasts. He would prefer peach buns but they said he would eat them during his journey.

“You look absolutely beautiful, my child!” Yao exclaimed. The two older brothers scanned Leon from head to toe and had to agree that he might, in fact, look even better than Mei when dressed up properly.

“Do they know what Mei looks like?” Cheng asked.

“I sent them a portrait once,” Yao said. “They immediately liked her and demanded to know more about her.”

“Oh…so they might figure this out.”

“Hey, we all know that’s just a portrait,” Yao said, folding his arms. “They can’t blame us if the real person doesn’t look the same because that would be the painter’s fault!”

“We never produce products that match the displayed pictures anyway.” Yong Soo laughed.

“Plus, Leon here looks decent and beautiful enough!” Yao said. “They wouldn’t complain!”

“Wait a moment,” Leon interrupted and put up a hand, “I, like, only have to do this for a while, right? After you find Mei, I’ll come back, eh?”

“Of course.” Yao rolled his eyes and pinched Leon’s cheek. “Just do your job. We’ll get Mei back very soon! And that damn Kiku!”

“Okay…” Leon nodded.

“I’m glad they allow him to dress in a Chinese gown,” Yao mumbled thoughtfully as he walked out of his son’s chamber. “They can’t tell the difference between us Asians anyway.”

They covered Leon’s face with a scarlet veil made of exquisite silk and got into an enormous golden carriage pulled by a green dragon. Soon, they were on their way to the northern land!

On the other side of the world, Prince Emil was pacing around his room anxiously. If he could just jump out of the window, mount a horse and flee, he would. Yet, Queen Lukas would probably send his troll and a group of fairies after him. He had tried that before and had barely made it to the palace gate before getting dragged back by his mother.

He was the prince of Ice Kingdom, the beloved son of King Mathias and Queen Lukas. King Mathias was a gallant warrior and since his reign, the kingdom had been thriving and expanding in the North continuously. By his side was Queen Lukas, a gifted, enchanting beta who came from a rare, noble magical family. With his help, the kingdom was able to stand strong and undefeatable.

Their precious son, Emil, however, didn’t quite take after them. He was neither gallant nor gifted. He hated fighting and didn’t particular excel in studies. He also messed up his magic a lot. Because of this, he had felt inferior since he was a kid. He believed that he could never live up to his parents’ standards. He spent most of his time talking to his pet, Mr. Puffin, reading and drawing in his own chamber. He didn’t like socialising with anyone because whenever his parents tried to introduce him to members from other royal families, he would feel pressured. He didn’t want to let his parents down. And he had nothing special to boast about. As a result, he often reminded shy.

As his marriageable age inched closer, King Mathias and Queen Lukas grew worried about their alpha son’s future. He hardly even left the palace and interacted with others. Noticing his loneliness, they decided to seek a perfect bride for him. They came across this exotic kingdom in the East offering generous trades with them. Seizing this economic opportunity, they started having financial deals with the Kingdom of Fire. Around that time, they also realised that Emperor Yao had a daughter renowned for her beauty and gracefulness. After seeing her portrait and learning that she possessed a kind, loving nature, they became more convinced that she was the right candidate for Emil’s marriage.

However, Emil wasn’t so interested in getting married. It sounded like a nightmare to him, actually. He had been indulging in his time alone and he surely didn’t want to spend his life with someone else so fast, let alone a person he had never met face-to-face. When Lukas showed him the portrait, he only glimpsed it and shrugged. He tried to tell his parents that it was still too early for him to get married, but they wouldn’t listen. They deemed it a right choice.

“You need a wife,” Queen Lukas said. “Someone who’s able to look after you.”

“Someone who can grant us plenty of grandchildren!” King Mathias laughed.

Emil sighed. He didn’t want to disappoint his parents but at the same time, this arranged marriage sickened him. He wasn’t even planning to take the throne. For all he knew, his more confident and talented younger brother, Sigurd, would most likely become the heir.

“Why can’t I just live alone in peace?” he wondered.

The wedding took place in their grand hall. Not many royal families were invited because Emil didn’t want to make it a big deal. He begged his parents to keep things simple and swift. He just wanted to get over the ceremony as quickly as possible. He wasn’t even going to speak to that girl unless necessary. He had already planned on ignoring her until she couldn’t endure it anymore and request a divorce. That would be fantastic!

Everything was decorated in white. There was a big wedding cake. Music started playing. He stood waiting for his bride. The girl was unexpectedly tall. When she came closer, she was the same height as Emil. Emil frowned slightly at this but didn’t dwell much on it. The priest began to talk and they quickly exchanged their vows. He slid the ring onto the bride’s finger. When they were asked to kiss, he grunted and kissed her on the head, not even lifting her veil.

Everyone clapped and gave them their blessings. The newly wedded couple walked down the aisle and out of the hall.

Emil didn’t join the celebration, of course. He claimed that he would like to retreat to his bedroom with his wife. They all nodded understandingly. He just simply didn’t want to be there.

Emil rolled his eyes and peeked at the girl.

“Are you going to stay or come with me?” he asked.

The girl twitched a little but didn’t reply.

“Hello? I’m talking to you,” Emil said.

“Oh…um…” she coughed and fidgeted with her hands. “Yea, sure.”

“Sure what?”

“Like, go with ya?”

Emil frowned. The girl had a funny voice. It almost sounded constrained. He let it slide.

“You can’t see what’s ahead. Why don’t you take off your veil?”

“No,” the girl rejected promptly. “It’s…it’s against our tradition. The veil must be taken off inside the chamber.”

“That’s a very odd tradition.”

Emil sighed, not going to comment further on those peculiar Chinese traditions. He took her hand and led her down the hallway.

As soon as they reached their chamber, he let go of her hand and asked her to rest anywhere she wanted.

“Look, I want nothing to do with you as much as you don’t want to be here,” Emil said. “I know you’re probably forced into this and so am I. So yea, I’m not going to do anything to you. Don’t worry. You can continue to enjoy your royal princess life here and do whatever you want. Sounds good and fair?”

Emil flopped down on a chair and crossed his legs. He stared at the unmoving figure patiently, rather proud of his speech. She must be stunned because she couldn’t even respond.

“Okay, maybe that’s too harsh,” Emil said. “What I mean is, I’m not ready for this yet. I suppose you aren’t either. So, not to impose on both of us, why don’t we keep on living the way we used to first?”

The girl finally nodded after a prolonged moment of silence.

Emil tilted his head. Now, he was really curious. Although he didn’t want to have anything to do with her, he wanted to know what she actually looked like, at least. After all, they would be sharing the same bed. He couldn’t possibly ask her to sleep on the floor or on the couch. If he requested for separate chambers, Lukas would know.

“Why aren’t you taking off the veil?” Emil stood up. “We’re already in the chamber. There’re only you and me. Thought the tradition says you could only show your face to your husband?”

The girl shifted uncomfortably. She was sitting on the edge of the bed.

Emil frowned and walked towards her.

“Oh I get it,” he said. “I’m the one who takes it off?”

The girl shook her head and fiddled with her fingers.

Emil reached out his hand. She suddenly flinched and stood up. She ran over to the other side of the room.

“Hey!” Emil scowled and chased after her. She was surprisingly agile and fast if only she hadn’t stumbled on her high heels and tripped. When she landed on the ground, the fabrics between her chests slid out. He caught up with her and grabbed her veil, accidentally grabbing her hair as well. Everything came off.

Emil stared wide-eyed at the person in front of him. The girl…no…the boy blinked back nonchalantly. He had short choppy brown hair and dark eyes. His face was still adorned by rouge and lipstick. An orchid clip adhered to his bangs. He propped himself up with his elbows and got back up.

“Look, I can totally, like, explain,” the boy said monotonously.

Emil couldn’t take it anymore.

He fainted.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while! Here's the update! I hope you like it XD I have fun writing this one! And yes, there's gonna be more tension between the two :3 Reviews much appreciated! Do tell me what you think and when you want an update! I'll try my best!

Leon knew his family couldn't be trusted when they all disappeared right after the wedding ceremony. The poor boy peeked through his veil. The original seats taken by his father and brothers were empty by the time they finished exchanging the vows. Mei never turned up. He wondered how no one ever grew suspicious. He would have banged his head on the wall if only this boy he inadvertently married hadn't offered to take him back to the chamber.

The chamber was huge, decorated with an assortment of fancy decors, opulent furniture and medieval wall paintings. It was a traditional Western-styled room with a king-sized bed, a colossal dressing table, an exquisite black piano and two secret rooms. The chandeliers glimmered above his head. Leon stared back at the boy who had just fainted on the ground. He had a head of silvery hair. Sleek and feather-like. He had caught a glimpse of his amethyst eyes and to be honest, the prince looked really grumpy. He didn't think he liked him that much.

Of course, Leon couldn't just go out and ask for help. His disguise would be exposed. He scanned the room apprehensively. He was still brooding over his current predicament when something glittered in the mirror. He quickly put on his wig and scurried to the dressing table that was crafted with elegant patterns of mythological creatures. Light enveloped the mirror. Leon clenched his eyes and stumbled back. Soon, a familiar voice wafted out from the inanimate object.

"Psst!"

Leon gawked at his annoying brother. Standing beside Yong Soo and trying to squeeze into the frame was his father, Yao.

"Leon! We messed up da-ze!" Yong Soo hissed, waving his arms dramatically. Yao smacked him upside the head and leant closer to the mirror.

"What…why…you…" Leon's mouth gaped open.

"Aiyah, don't ask too much. It's magic! Magic! Otherwise we won't be able to connect with you!" Yao said. "Now listen very carefully, my son, we can't find Mei. We're still looking for her. Apparently, we miscalculated-"

"Thought so," Leon said indifferently. What did he expect? He knew right from the start their plan would go wrong and yet he still foolishly complied. His family was just a bunch of goofballs sometimes.

"Don't interrupt me!" Yao pouted. "Look, we're already expanding our searching areas. We expect to catch her within these two days. By then, continue the disguise and don't let anyone find out, okay?"

"What?" Leon blinked incredulously. Yong Soo jumped back into sight and smiled brightly at him.

"Oh come on, he isn't that bad. He's pretty suave. We all saw him on the wedding!" He laughed and made a silly face. "Just try not to get mated by the time Mei comes back!"

"Woah, hold on a second-" Leon frowned.

"That's it!" Yao snapped his fingers. "We're counting on you now! It's life or death for our mighty kingdom. See you soon, son!"

"Wait!"

The image of his family soon dissolved. He swore he saw Cheng eating a plate of egg tarts while Yong Soo was joining him with some kimchi rice in the background. Yao was being scooped up by Princess Anya. He dropped his jaw as the light disappeared and only his reflection remained.

He looked damn awful in those make-ups. The mascara they put on him was starting to make his skin itchy. He had better things to tend to though.

He walked back to the body on the ground. He bent down and scooped up the unconscious boy. He placed him on the bed and started shaking him.

"Hey…"

Not working.

He gave him a tug.

Not working.

He poked his cheeks.

Still no response.

Right, this called for some drastic measures. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

Emil was having a wondrous dream of building an ice castle on the mountain and flying with Mr. Puffin when he felt the sharp pinch.

"Yo…"

Leon smacked his face. He grabbed the vase on the nightstand and poured the water on Emil's face. The boy jerked awake and snapped open his eyes. He choked.

"Oh gosh, not you again!" He nearly fainted again but Leon kept a firm grip on his shoulders and shook him.

"Wait, wait, don't, like, go back to sleep yet," he said. "It isn't even ten o'clock."

"Give me a break."

Emil sighed and fell back down on the mattress. This had to be the worst nightmare he was having.

"You fainted," Leon said.

"I know."

"Are you feeling okay?"

"What do you think?" Emil seriously wanted to shriek and punch this person in front of him. Then, he remembered what he saw before he zonked out.

"Holy shit." Emil bounced up in bed and scooted away from Leon. He pointed a finger at the unblinking boy and gasped. "You…You're a freaking boy!"

"Oh, I guess you, like, didn't lose your memory when you fainted," Leon said calmly.

"You…You're…an-" Emil widened his eyes and screamed, "INTRU-"

Leon quickly clamped his hand over his mouth and shushed him.

"Hey! I'm not an intruder!" he hissed. "Please, like, let me explain."

Emil stared at him in sheer horror. After ensuring that he wouldn't yell again, Leon released him.

"Look, I'm, like, so sorry you have to go through that mentally-scarring moment of your life," Leon said, unexpectedly composed and sane. "I don't want to be here either but I'm stuck. So like, yea, there's no way out and please, don't report me. Like, if you don't want any wars between our two kingdoms, that's the only solution…"

"What're you talking about?" Emil frowned and sat up straight. He wiped the dripping water on his face with a handkerchief and took a closer look at the boy. Now, he didn't look that bad. He had his wig back on but his chest was as flat as his table.

Leon proceeded to tell him the entire story, from his perspective, of course. He explained to Emil how his family came up with this outlandish trick, how he was there to replace Mei, his original bride who had eloped with the prime minister and how for the time being this had to be kept a secret in fear of stirring up a commotion.

"So…you're a prince?" Emil examined Leon doubtfully.

Leon nodded and took off a pendant around his neck. He showed him the shimmering golden item. A fire dragon was engrained on its back, indicating his identity as a royal member of Fire Kingdom.

"Okay…now give me a moment," Emil said and tried to register his speech. Everything sounded so uncanny to him. He peeked at Leon again and pinched himself.

"What're you doing?"

"Seeing if this is a dream."

Emil grunted and shook his head.

"Kill me now," he whispered.

"I, like, can't do that to my sister's husband," Leon said plainly.

After an hour of silence where neither of them spoke and both were just spacing out or pondering on what to do with their remaining life, Emil sighed and decided that he might have to tag along with Leon's plan. He did consider telling on him. That would successfully end his marriage! Yet, as Leon pinpointed, knowing his parents' prideful and unyielding nature, they might take the deception seriously and wage a war with Fire Kingdom. It would be disastrous. As much as he didn't like staying with this eccentric boy, he didn't want an unnecessary war either.

"Right," Emil said, "can you please wash off your make-up first? It's highly distracting."

"Oh, but-"

"No one will come in here at this hour," Emil added. "I want to see your original face."

"Sure."

Leon blinked. It was starting to get itchy anyway. He nodded and walked into the bathroom, where he spent another fifteen minutes clearing his mascara, rouge and lipstick. He took off his wig and wished he could take off his gown as well. It was really inconvenient walking in a confined piece of fabric. He wondered how girls could stand it. The high heels were simply torturous. His heels were beginning to ache.

He tottered back into the bedroom. Emil was sitting cross-legged on the bed. He looked up at Leon. His bangs shadowed his eyes. They were big but dull. He had a slightly round face, thin lips and porcelain skin. He definitely looked ordinary for a prince. Emil had seen Asians more beautiful than him but there was something unique about Leon. It was probably his scent. It was blended with the lavender perfume he was forced to wear though.

"Don't, like, blame me if you don't like what you're seeing," Leon mumbled.

"No, I think it's fine," Emil said. "You look much better this way. You scared the hell out of me with those…things."

"They put a lot on me for disguise." Leon pointed to the empty space on the bed. "May I?"

"Yea."

They sat silently for a while until Emil decided to initiate another conversation.

"Are you an omega?" he asked and couldn't help sniffing the air. The smell was intriguing. Reminded him of refreshing summer breeze surrounded by dozens of blossoms. It got stronger when Leon was beside him.

"Oh, I thought the perfume hides it," Leon muttered.

"You smell weird," Emil commented and stood up. "So, are they going to swap you with your sister in two days?"

"Ideally," Leon said. "Provided that nothing, like, goes wrong."

Oddly, Emil wasn't repulsed by the idea of being stuck with Leon, probably because he knew that both of them were forced into an undesirable situation. That means Leon would be able to empathise with him.

"You must be tired," Emil said. "We should just rest for the night."

Leon nodded and yawned. They didn't talk to each other again that night.

The next morning, Leon sat at the dressing table waiting for his family's update on Mei's whereabouts. They never appeared.

"What're you doing?" Emil asked, rubbing his half-opened eyes.

"Oh, nothing."

Leon spun around. He had picked a random shirt and pants from the wardrobe. Luckily, he still remembered how to dress himself in these complicated Western clothes. Arthur used to shove shirts with lots of buttons and laces to him.

"Good morning, by the way," Emil said and went off to the bathroom.

Leon sighed and looked back at the mirror. He wished his stupid family could just be more responsible. The servants usually came around to serve Emil at eight. Fortunately for them, it was their first wedding night so nobody would show up to disturb them. Emil showed Leon around the chamber and led him into those two rooms. One was a study room with shelves of books and paintings. The other was simply a tiny room with flickering glass windows directly facing a small secret garden. Emil rang the bell. Leon hid himself in one of the rooms. Instead of a random servant girl, it was his godmother and nurse, Tino, who brought the breakfast in. The omega man beamed when he entered the room. He had short, blond hair, violet eyes and an adorable, chubby round face that probably concealed his actual age. He greeted Emil and gave him a hug. Soon, he was looking around the room curiously.

"Stop looking," Emil sighed. "Nothing happened last night, okay?"

"Where's she?" Tino smiled mirthfully.

"Inside the room," Emil said. "She wants to explore the library."

"You're a terrible liar, you know." Tino giggled. "She's shy, isn't she?"

"Yea." Emil chuckled nervously. He would go along with that.

"How's she? Do you think you like her yet?" Tino pried, eagerly leaning his ear towards Emil.

"Um…oh…she's okay, I guess," Emil said with a faint blush. "Can you leave me alone for now?"

"Sure! His majesty wants to have a word with you though," Tino said. "Do go and find him after breakfast."

Emil nodded. After Tino left, Leon came out of the room.

"Well, we might start with breakfast first." Emil shrugged.

"'She's okay, I guess,'" Leon imitated and smirked.

Emil's cheeks went beet red. He glared at Leon and growled, "Shut up!"

Leon giggled and followed him to the table. They flopped down on the chairs and began their meal. As they ate, they chatted a little. Emil found it surprisingly comfortable speaking to Leon. The boy was rather blunt. He wasn't like anyone Emil had met. People, realising his status, normally flattered and hovered over him. The only two people he could confide in at the palace were his nanny, Tino, who had taken care of him since he was a child, and Berwald, the honourable general of the kingdom and also Tino's spouse. He could tell Leon was trying hard to mask his emotions with a stoic expression. So was he. They had all been trained to retain a good demeanour. As respectable royal members, they should not fall prey to sentiments. There were duties to fulfil and rules to abide by.

"So…um…about your sister," Emil stuttered, feeling a lump in his throat. Leon glanced at him intently. For some reason, his gaze made him shiver. "What's she like?"

"Oh, Mei..." Leon trailed off and rubbed his chin. He thought for a moment before smiling for the first time. "She's very gorgeous. Like an angel. Thought you have seen her portrait?"

"I only took a glimpse," Emil said.

"What a pity," Leon said. "And she's really kind. She cares about others. She is brave too. She sometimes stands up for injustice, even if it means she has to, like, go against my father."

Emil nodded and looked out of the window. The girl sounded promising enough, but he knew he wouldn't love her. She wouldn't love him either. Her heart belonged to someone else. Emil had no intention of spending the rest of his life with a girl he couldn't bond.

"Sounds like just a normal princess," Emil commented.

"Mei is different," Leon countered. "I, like, know that because she's my sister…"

"If she's really that considerate, she wouldn't have run away," Emil pointed out. "You're now in trouble because of her."

Leon didn't respond. True he was dragged into this because of Mei. He wouldn't blame her though. Nobody wanted to be forced into a marriage. He knew well the feeling of being controlled and caged. He had been like that for the past fifteen years.

Emil was cold and cranky, like a living snowstorm. He talked boldly and never hesitated to make criticisms. Having grown accustomed to his family's cold treatment, Leon didn't find it particularly problematic to deal with Emil. He was just misjudged.

They didn't do anything productive. Emil found his father. King Mathias said he wanted to meet his daughter-in-law during dinner. Emil's heart skipped a beat. He went back into the chamber and informed Leon of the imminent gathering.

"I can, like, totally disguise myself as Mei again," Leon said calmly.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Emil squinted. "My mother is very sharp."

"It's, like, fine," Leon assured. "Thanks for worrying, by the way."

"I'm not worrying about you!" Emil pouted and blushed. He turned away and crossed his arms.

Leon laughed.

"Stop it," Emil growled. "What's so funny?"

"You pout like a trout," Leon said, still laughing.

"That's pretty enough." Emil grabbed a pillow and hurled it at him. "Stop it."

Leon stopped laughing.

"There's one problem though…"

"What?" Emil looked at Leon.

"How am I supposed to dress?"

Leon swore to his deity there was no way he would cross-dress again, especially in these awful heavy dresses. They couldn't allow any servant girls to enter and help. Emil couldn't put this dress on Leon. He didn't even know how to fix the corsets!

"Seriously, like, who in a freaking mind would want to wear something like this?" Leon grunted. Fabrics piled up on the ground.

"What's this?" he held up one piece of fabric. "And what's that?"

"Stop asking me!" Emil yelled. "I don't know either! I never dress in women's clothing!"

And then, an idea clicked in Emil's head. He knew whom he could resort to!

Tino, of course, was astounded when he saw a half-naked boy, instead of a girl, standing next to Emil. Emil trusted him enough with the secret, so before Tino could faint, he explained everything to him and ordered him to seal his lips.

Tino blinked at Leon and then at Emil. He pinched himself.

"Is that, like, a habit of your people?" Leon asked.

"No," Emil said.

"God, this isn't a dream," Tino said.

"No, it isn't, now get on with it," Emil commanded. "Or he'll be in trouble."

"Well, since Prince Emil has agreed to help you, I'll not tell anyone about this."

Tino smiled. Leon was surprised by how devoted Tino was. The man spun him around and started picking up the garments from the ground. He put them on Leon one by one. The boy gasped when the corsets squeezed around his waist. Hell, it hurt. He couldn't breathe.

"Hold on," Tino said, pulling the laces hard.

"You're breaking my ribs!"

"Endure, boy!"

Emil rolled his eyes and sat in one corner. It was quite an amusing show. Leon was obviously undergoing some torment. The corsets wrapped around him tightly.

"Now on to the crinoline," Tino said with a smile.

"No, no, no, don't, that's, like, gonna kill me," Leon whined.

"It's part of the fashion. You can't go without that."

"But…that's, like, worse than- Ouch!"

Emil laughed. Leon glared at him.

"S-Stop!"

"See, that's all good now," Tino said proudly. Leon couldn't move. The crinoline hung around him heavily. He wasn't sure how to raise his arms. The dress was black-and-red. They all thought it fitted Leon perfectly. It was long and bulky. The laces bugged him to no end. The make-up they applied on him made his face almost as pale as the snow. He wondered if all these Westerners adored white so much.

Now he realised another reason why Mei eloped with Kiku.

"Well, that's fun," Emil teased.

Leon ignored his remark. He was too busy figuring out how to walk properly. He didn't know it would cause this much pain to his back. They stuffed some fabrics between his chests to make up two swollen breasts. He put on his wig with Tino's help. He stood in front of the mirror.

"No wonder nobody found out yesterday," Tino said. "You can pass as a girl."

"That's totally not something I'd like to hear," Leon said.

"Of course not." Tino giggled and combed Leon's hair. "You look quite different from your siblings."

"I know," Leon said. "Get that a lot."

"I don't mean anything negative," Tino clarified. "You have your own charm."

"That's, like, a very beautiful lie," Leon said.

"I mean it." The man smiled gently and stuck a black crystal hair clip onto Leon's head.

Twice, Leon almost got lost in the palace exploring the hallways and mysterious rooms. Emil eventually had to take his hand to prevent him from wandering off. The construction looked exotic and spectacular. It was completely different from his own home, where everything was mostly white, gold and red. Arthur's palace was no better. It was dull and unattractive compared to this one.

He couldn't walk fast so they took it slowly. They strolled along the hallway. Emil explained some table manners to Leon, who had already acquired some Western etiquettes during his stay with King Arthur. Nonetheless, he let Emil talk. He appreciated that he actually cared and worried about him being discovered.

Leon thought he was in heaven when he met Emil's parents. They were both so painfully gorgeous he doubted if they were actually angels. King Mathias had spiky, blond hair and a pair of drooping blue eyes. They were sparkly and imbued with much energy. He was tall and well-built, with a cherry smile on his face. Queen Lukas had pale blond hair and a floating curl. His blue eyes were cold but bright. He stood inches shorter than his spouse. His skin was nearly translucent, contrasting his thin, red lips.

Emil and Leon greeted the couple and bowed.

"Oh my! What do we have here?" King Mathias exclaimed and quickly grabbed Leon's hand to kiss it. Emil swore he did not need to see that.

"Such a refined lady! I'm impressed."

Emil heaved a sigh of relief. Sometimes, he was grateful for having a dense father who never bothered with details. Now came his mother…

Queen Lukas stared at Leon and narrowed his eyes.

"You look somewhat different from the portrait," Lukas pointed out. He walked closer to Leon, who was having quite a heart attack then.

Emil's face paled. He peeked at Leon nervously.

"Who cares!" Mathias laughed and dragged Lukas away. "She's beautiful! I'm so happy that our son's finally married! Emil, you didn't come to the celebration last night and don't worry, we all know why. There's nothing to rush though! Take it easy, young ones! As much as Lukas and I love kids, we don't want to pressure you so-"

Queen Lukas shut him up with a smack on his head.

"Start the dinner," Lukas announced. They all got into their respective seats. The servants began serving the food and drinks. Since it was an informal family dinner, the couple didn't let their younger kids join. They wanted to know more about their daughter-in-law personally.

"Your family left very early yesterday," Queen Lukas said. "We didn't even get a chance to chat."

"Oh…um…pardon them," Leon said, trying his best to constrain his voice. "They must have some important political issues to tend to."

"I see."

Queen Lukas took a sip of the wine and kept staring at Leon.

"Why aren't you eating?" he asked.

Leon shifted slightly and looked down at his plate. He had barely touched the fish. The corsets were so tight he couldn't even eat.

"I suppose it's hard to adapt to a new menu," Lukas said. "We can ask the kitchen to cook something else."

"No, this is, like, fine," Leon said. "I'm just not…that hungry."

"Well, you came all the way from the East!" Mathias said. "You must still be exhausted! Emil, go easy on her tonight!"

Emil blushed furiously and glared at his father.

"Stop it."

King Mathias laughed. The dinner proceeded awkwardly, with King Mathias cracking silly jokes, Queen Lukas interrogating Leon about his previous life in Fire Kingdom, Emil trying hard to ignore his father's teases, Leon suppressing the urge to tear off his damn corsets.

"I didn't know you're an omega," Queen Lukas piped up.

They all stared at Leon. The boy averted his gaze to the glinting plates.

"Now that you mention it, you do have an extraordinary scent!" Mathias grinned widely.

"Your family claimed that you're a beta," Lukas said.

"They must have…made a mistake," Leon quickly said.

"Oh Lukas, it isn't much of a big deal! This way, they might even bond better!" Mathias cheered and stood up but got tugged down by his wife at once.

"I still think that there is some discrepancy between you and that portrait," Lukas commented.

Before he could investigate further, Emil grabbed Leon's hand and stood up. He told his parents he was full and Leon probably wanted to sleep early. They bowed, excused themselves from the couple and left the dining hall.

"Good grief." Leon gasped. "Do I, like, have to face them every night?"

"No," Emil said. "Not if you don't want to."

"I thought I would, like, suffocate to death there," Leon said. He tried to arch his back but to no avail. His stomach was growling.

Emil looked at him sympathetically. They returned to the chamber. Leon immediately got rid of the dress. He felt that his waist had gotten thinner by a few inches. He changed back into a loose laced shirt. Emil called for Tino to bring in some food.

"The queen is hella scary," Leon said as he gobbled up some pastries.

Tino laughed.

"It went well, I suppose?"

"At least,he didn't find out," Emil mumbled. He was suddenly on this crazy journey of faking identity with Leon. And it was incredibly thrilling.

"He suspected though," Leon said. "I guess I must, like, look pretty different from Mei."

"His instincts are sharper than normal people's," Tino said. "His ancestors are faeries and wizards."

"I've never met a faerie," Leon said randomly. "But we have dragons, phoenixes, snake spirits, fox demons and stuff."

"Really?" Emil widened his eyes.

"Yea, some of them are, like, guardians of the palace," Leon said. "Some are pets. Father has a red dragon he keeps inside his chamber. My oldest brother has a green serpent spirit. My sister has a white tiger. My second brother has a phoenix."

"What do you have?" Emil asked.

"A stuffed panda."

"That's totally amazing!" Emil exclaimed and leant forward. "Can I see them?"

"Um…yea, sure, but either you'll have to visit our place or we'll have to bring them here."

"I've never seen any of those things," Emil said. "We only have trolls, fairies, elves, mermaids... And also, why do you only have a stuffed panda?"

"Because there is, like, a tradition in my kingdom that every royal kid will be granted a magical, lifelong pet once they reach sixteen. I haven't had my birthday yet."

"What do you think you will have?" Emil asked eagerly.

"I don't know… Definitely not a black turtle," Leon said. "Maybe a panda for real?"

Emil laughed. Leon didn't know why he was laughing but he laughed with him.


	3. Chapter 3

Two days passed. Leon knew he was running out of luck. He sat at the dressing table every chance he got but his family never appeared. He didn’t know how long he could put up with the disguise. Although they had tried to keep mimimum contact with Queen Lukas, the sensitive beta remained rather suspicious and wary.

To avoid trouble, Leon stayed inside the chamber most of the time. He had gotten accustomed to the daily routines. They woke up at eight. Tino would come in and dress them. Leon still despised dresses so he would stay in his shirt and pants unless he had to leave the room. Breakfast was served half an hour later. They ate together and chattered, both getting to know each other more. Emil was interested in Leon’s past life. He had never befriended another prince. They both had something in common and yet their life was so different. Leon told him about his father and siblings, their accomplishments and deeds, his time spent with King Arthur because his existence stirred up bitter memories for Emperor Yao, his return to Fire Kingdom and his seclusion afterwards. Emil nodded and listened intently as Leon shared things about himself. It wasn’t hard to tell that they were both lonely beings craving for recognition. They both wanted someone to understand them, the struggle and hassle they went through being a royal member. Leon talked optimistically but his tone revealed otherwise. He would smile whenever he finished speaking, even if all Emil ever responded with was just a nod or a mumble of acknowledgment. Emil tried to tell Leon about himself but he found it difficult to open up. When Leon leant in and blinked at him enthusiastically, he could only blush and turn away. His heart would thump faster and his skin burnt. He wondered why.

“So…what do you normally do?” Emil asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Nothing much, really.” Leon shrugged, toying with the silvery fork. They were sitting beside the glass windows. He glanced at the massive green plants outside. “I read and play with firecrackers.”

“Don’t they explode?”

“That’s why it’s fun,” Leon said plainly. “And I did have a couple of lessons back there. Arts. Languages. Mathematics. Music.  Kung Fu, stuff like that.”

“Kung what?”

“Kung Fu,” Leon said. “It’s a type of martial arts.”

“You fight?” Emil frowned. He had never heard of an omega fighting.

“Father doesn’t like it,” Leon said. “He thinks I should stay indoors and attend classes like a regular omega, but I don’t want to. My butt hurts if I sit all day. So, I, like, insisted on practising Kung Fu with my brothers.”

“Well, I have lots of classes and I hate them,” Emil said. “As a matter of fact, I have a magic training session today. I’m planning to pretend I’m sick.”

“No, you can’t,” Tino interrupted with a smile. Emil pouted.

“Maybe it isn’t that bad,” Leon said.

“I don’t like magic,” Emil admitted. “I never do it properly. It’s so hard. I mess up every time. It’s so…”

“Frustrating, I know,” Leon said. “I spent a long time trying to master the magic of fire.”

“You know how to make a fire?” Emil gasped.

“I do.”

“Show me.”

“Only if you attend the lesson,” Leon said with a smirk.

“Fine!” Emil snorted and stood up.

“So, I guess I’ll, like, wait here in the chamber?”

“Yes, don’t wander around or it’s not my problem you get discovered,” Emil said.

After Emil left for his class, Leon got himself a book from the library and sat down on the couch. He was reading the Scandinavian folklores when the mirror gleamed. Ecstatic, he dashed to the dressing table. As expected, Yong Soo’s goofy grin slowly came into sight.

“What’s up, bro!” Yong Soo waved at his little brother.

“Don’t ‘what’up’ me,” Leon said. “Took you long enough.”

“Are you getting used to your new married life yet?” Yao butted in, chewing an exceptionally big shrimp dumpling. Leon drooled.  It took him a minute to react.

“What married life? What’re you, like, talking about?” Leon asked. “Where’s Mei?”

“How’s he?” Yong Soo asked loudly, his curl bouncing up and down.

“Is he nice to you? Does he spoil you like we all do?” Yao laughed, munching a bun in the background.

“What?” Leon frowned.

“His hair colour is so weird da-ze,” Yong Soo commented and danced around. “I’ve never seen someone with white hair!”

“Is he any good in bed?” Cheng popped into the frame and giggled.

“Wait, what the hell is this all about?” Leon stood up abruptly and glared at his family. “Where is Mei?”

“Have you two kissed yet?” Yong Soo asked.

“Stop it!” Leon growled. “Where is Mei?”

His family burst into laughter.

“WHERE IS MEI?” he repeated in a low voice.

Yao ceased laughing and stared at his son. Yong Soo shrugged and went off to the background, giggling and bouncing around hyperactively. Cheng adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat.

“Can’t find her.”

Leon trembled. He clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his palms. He blinked incredulously at his unfazed family. Yao was still eating. A pair of arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Leon certainly did not need to see his father kissing Princess Anya. The queen waved at him and blew him a kiss.

“Enjoying your new life, da?” She snickered.

“What…do you mean you can’t find her?” Leon shivered.

“Well, we tried,” Yao said. “We really did. We’re still searching.”

“But…you, like, promised!” Leon said. “You said I would go back in two days!”

“Only if we found Mei,” Yao clarified.

“But now we can’t find her and it seems that you’re doing fine,” Cheng added. “So, I suppose you will have to continue with your disguise.”

“No way!” Leon yelled. “This isn’t, like, what you said in the first place!”

“Come on, it isn’t that bad!” Yong Soo laughed. “You get along with him well enough. I can totally see that!”

“Yes!” Yao said. “Ice Kingdom is very wealthy and I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful life ahead!”

“What?” Leon couldn’t believe he was hearing this.

“See you around, bro!” Yong Soo waved.

“Oh and here’s your little companion!” Princess Anya picked up a gigantic stuffed panda and squeezed it into the frame. She shoved the furry toy through the mirror. The boy stumbled back in astonishment. Before he could speak again, his family disappeared.

“W-Wait!” He touched the mirror. Nothing but a still, hard glass remained. “Please!”

He cursed. He looked down at the fluffy toy in his hands. It reached up to his waist. He didn’t know what to do or say, so he hugged his companion and let tears trickle down his cheeks.

He took a long nap. He kept his arms around the stuffed panda and sobbed himself to sleep. He didn’t want to think about his future. He wanted to forget every outrageous event that had happened up till now. And he absolutely wanted to fool himself into believing that he wasn’t, no, he definitely wasn’t, abandoned and deceived by his family again.

Tino came into the chamber at around two. He woke the boy gently and gave him a heart-warming smile. Leon sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes.

“I apologise,” the man said. “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with your family.”

Leon stared at Tino in bewilderment. Tino bent down to fix Leon’s collar and lacy sleeves.

“I brought in some tea,” he said. “Emil will finish his lesson soon. Why don’t you sit around the table and eat something while waiting for him?”

Leon nodded and rolled out of bed. Tino cut him a slice of cream cake and poured some hot tea into the cup.

“It will be fine,” he said. “Don’t worry too much. I’m sure Emil is willing to help.”

Leon thanked him. He felt slightly better after taking a slumber. He wiped his tears clean and tasted the cake.

“Why don’t you, like, take a seat?” Leon said.

“If you command me to,” Tino said.

“Just sit down,” Leon said. “I’m sure Emil treats you like his mum.”

Tino laughed. Leon let the sweetness of the cake sink into his gum. He relished Tino’s soothing company. The omega man was very compassionate. It reminded him of what an actual mother would be. He had long forgotten what his mother looked like. He thought her name was Alice or something… The night she ran off with the French ambassador, Yao went haywire. They looked for her for a year or two but gave up after Yao fell into depression.

“Father refused to look at me then,” Leon told Tino calmly as they discussed his past. “Because it, like, made him think of her. So he sent me away to live with my uncle. Arthur was, like, really strict and tenacious. He forced me to learn his language and like, gave me lots of work to do, but he still took care of me.”

Tino nodded understandingly. He told Leon that he was an orphan and for years he had been lingering on the streets living on meagre food until he finally met Berwald. Berwald came from a prestigious family. They didn’t hesitate to take him in. They grew up together and when Berwald decided to work for the palace, Tino followed him. The two were close friends with King Mathias and Queen Lukas.

“I never remember my parents’ faces either,” Tino said. “But it doesn’t matter because I know that there’s someone else worth living for.”

“Say,” Leon muttered and crushed the cake with his fork, “what does love taste like? Is it like this cake?”

Tino laughed.

“Nothing is purely sweet for sure.” He ruffled Leon’s hair. “There are tears and smiles. Bitter like coffee. Sweet like cakes. Sour like lemon. Spicy like chilli. That’s what love tastes like.”

Leon hummed.

“Don’t look like that.” Tino giggled at Leon’s sulky face. “I’m starting to think that you and Emil share quite a lot of resemblances.”

Emil stormed into the chamber in rage. Tino stood up worriedly as the boy stomped towards the bed with flushed cheeks. He randomly picked up a pillow and hurled it at the wall. He trod towards the dressing table and shoved everything onto the floor.

“Emil!” Tino went over to grab Emil’s arm. The boy growled and pushed Tino away. He trampled on the decors that fell onto the ground. He was crying.

“Stop it,” Leon said and raced towards Emil. The boy flailed his arms, accidentally knocking down Tino. Leon grabbed him and pulled him back by the waist. Emil started tossing things he could pick from the table.

“Emil!” Leon yelled.

The alpha boy didn’t stop. He wiggled out of Leon’s grip and dashed towards the bed, where he fell onto the mattress with his face down. He sobbed and sobbed.

Tino and Leon exchanged a glance.

“Emil…”

“Go away!” Emil howled, his voice muffled by the pillow. He punched the mattress repeatedly. “Stupid, stupid, stupid magic. Damn it!”

“Why don’t you, like, go and get something to tidy this up?” Leon turned to Tino. Broken accessories and shards of glasses scattered across the ground. “I’ll, like, talk to him.”

Tino nodded and left the chamber. Leon went over to the bed and sat down.

“I told you to go away!” Emil cried.

“Look,” Leon sighed, placing his hand on Emil’s shuddering back. “I know you, like, probably had a bad day, but we’re all trying to help.”

“You can’t help me!” Emil brushed away his hand.

“Well, if that’s-”

Emil whipped around and shoved the other boy hard. Leon stumbled back and landed on the floor.

“You don’t understand!”

“Show me,” Leon said. “Show me what’s wrong with your magic.”

Emil scowled. He raised one hand and waved. Beams of sparkling flakes shot out of his fingers and struck the vase. The object was instantly covered in a layer of hard frost. Yet, the frost continued spreading to the wall and gradually to the other side of the room, freezing all the paintings and decors. Emil put down his trembling hand and cried.

Every time he tried to use his power, it would get out of control. He had accidentally frozen a lot of animals in the forest, furniture in the palace, flowers in the garden and once he almost killed his own pet!

They all died because of him.

His power caused nothing but destruction.

Leon stared at the frozen chamber. The air grew extremely cold. His breaths turned into frost. Emil’s tears poured down and transformed into ice cubes. His skin turned paler than ever. Frost coated his hair.

“Emil,” Leon cooed. He went over and wrapped his arms around the cold, shivering body. Emil didn’t budge. He wanted to end right there, freeze himself to death. He was never good at magic and he probably brought shame to his mother. Snow started teeming down from the ceiling. Leon had hardly seen snow before. From where he came, it was always sunny and warm, even in winter. Despite the aching cold, he found it beautiful. Everything that came out of Emil was pure white. Glistening. Soft. Unpredictable.

He hugged Emil and blew his hair. The snowflakes slowly melted. His white hair darkened. He held the boy close to his chest and stroked his back. Emil stopped crying. His heart tingled. The pain abated. A sudden feeling of warmth enveloped him. It felt like he was suddenly taken out to the sun. Not the scotching one. He could hear Leon’s beating heart. The boy was surrounded by a beautiful faint light of crimson that kept radiating warmth and a tantalising fragrance.

Emil looked up. His eyes widened as all the frost slowly melted and everything in the chamber was restored to its original appearance. The ice cubes became water and soaked the sheet.

“See, it isn’t all that bad,” Leon whispered and looked down at him. “We can, like, totally solve this.”

“How did you…” Emil couldn’t take his eyes off the scarlet light around Leon. The boy held out his palm. Sparks shot out and a small, burning fire came into shape.

“As I promised,” Leon said. “I’d show you my magic.”

It was the most beautiful thing Emil had ever seen. The flames were bright and red. Sparks danced above and gleamed. Emil couldn’t help but touch it. Leon controlled the fire extremely well. It didn’t burn. Instead, it warmed his hand.

The fire vanished, along with the light. Leon grabbed Emil’s hand and pulled him into an embrace.

“Tell you what,” he said with a chuckle, “I used to burn a lot of curtains and sheets in my room. Once, I caused a fire in Arthur’s rose garden and nearly burnt his brows. I set the wall on fire and nearly killed a dog.”

“You did?” Emil gulped and burrowed his face into Leon’s shoulder. The body was so warm and cuddly.

“Yes,” Leon said. “It took years and lots of accidents and lots of scolding and punishments from Father but well, I managed it. And I believe you can do the same because you just, like, have to believe in yourself more. I’ll, like, be there to help.”

Emil nodded. When Tino returned, all that he saw were two boys buried in each other’s arms.

Leon offered to help Emil practise with his magic. They started out with little objects, like vases, clocks, chairs etc. They would do it in the secret garden behind the glass windows. Emil’s shots remained uncontrollable at first. Whenever he shot the target, the frost would spread to the surrounding objects and freeze them.

“That’s, like, because you’re powerful,” Leon said. “You just need to concentrate more.”

When he accidentally turned something into ice, Leon would defrost it. Emil wouldn’t have to worry about harming and killing any living being. As he grew more secure in Leon’s presence, his shots improved. He was able to concentrate on the target and thrust aside his anxiety. Whenever he nearly froze his own hand, Leon would hold and kiss it. It would become warm again.

He never thought he could make it, but by the end of the week, the magic he had been trying years to master became a gift. When he showed it to his teacher, Vladimir, later, the man was appalled. He immediately reported to Queen Lukas about the prince’s drastic progress. Queen Lukas nodded and approached his son. He patted his head and smiled proudly. Emil had never felt more content.

He knew he could never achieve it without Leon. Precisely because the omega was there, he felt confident and assured. Leon would not let him fall. He would undo his wrong. His fire was amazing and warm. His heart thumped faster whenever they touched.

One night, he heard Leon sobbing in his sleep. They shared the same bed, but the boy was facing the other way. The noise was faint at first. Then, the body next to him started to quiver. Emil turned around and sat up. Leon was crying. His eyes were shut. He was muttering in his dream. He clutched the stuffed panda protectively. Tears drenched the fur.

Tino had secretly told him what happened the other day he got into a fit. Leon’s family couldn’t find Mei. They were planning to let it slide and disguise him as her for the rest of his life. Emil didn’t know if Leon’s sorrow came from being forced into this marriage or being betrayed by his family. Did he not want to be here? Did he want to go home?

He rubbed his thumbs against those soft cheeks. Leon jerked awake and stared into Emil’s orbs. He didn’t realise he was crying until Emil kept wiping his hot tears away.

“Sorry to wake you,” Emil said. “You were…having a bad dream.”

“I see…”

“Do you want to go home?” Emil asked.

Leon shook his head and stared at the ceiling.

“They, like, don’t want me around anyway,” the omega mumbled. “Am I, like, a trouble to you too?”

Emil frowned. The tingle in his heart grew. It kept expanding, to his lungs, his ribs and the rest of his body. A brutal hand was squeezing his chest and trying to crumple it. He recognised that feeling. He used to lock himself up and stay away from everyone else. He used to sit alone in the chamber all day and glance out of the glass windows. When he realised that nothing would ever appear, that no matter how long he waited, no one would come around, he felt the ache.

It was probably the same one Leon was feeling.

He didn’t say anything.

He cupped Leon’s cheeks and bent down, sealing the gap between their lips.

The kiss was chaste. They both blushed and gaped at each other.

“Stop being so gloomy. The least you can do is affect me with your negativity.”

Emil puffed and flopped back down next to Leon. He turned away. His cheeks had never been redder.

Days turned into weeks. Leon continued his disguise. They had dinner with King Mathias and Queen Lukas three times a week. It was basically a torture for Leon. He couldn’t eat with his corsets on and had to rely on the food Tino sneaked into the chamber later at night. Queen Lukas would ask him probing questions and observe him cautiously. Every single movement might give away his true identity. It was getting gruelling, but Emil stayed beside him.

When Emil attended his classes, he stayed in the chamber reading, chatting with Tino or tending to the secret garden. He met Mr. Puffin there. The bird had black-and-white features and a red beak. A pink bow-tie was tied around its neck, which Leon found adorable. The creature, however, was aggressive and rude. He cursed at Leon and attempted to bite him. Leon caught the bird by its beak and laughed. The bird flapped its wings furiously and thrashed about.

“Relax, dude, I’m, like, not gonna put you into a pot and cook you on a stove,” Leon said. “Father might do it though if he sees you.”

“Shut up! Shut up!” The bird broke free from Leon’s hands and bit him. Leon winced. “Who are you anyway!”

“Me? You, like, don’t ask someone for his name after biting him,” Leon said.

The bird attacked him again. Leon ducked and laughed. He held out his stuffed panda. Mr. Puffin stopped in the air.

“Here.” Leon smiled. “Wanna be friends with Xiang?”

“Brat! I do not befriend a dead object!” the bird squawked.

“But isn’t he, like, as cute as you?”

Now the bird seemed flattered, since Emil had mentioned how it was so proud of its own appearance.

“Stop messing around,” Emil snarled as he passed through the glass door and ran to Leon’s side. He held Mr. Puffin and scowled. “Now apologise to Leon.”

“Why should I! Why should I!” The bird screeched and pouted and flew away. “I’m not flattered! I certainly am not!”

“Well, like owner, like puffin, I guess.” Leon smirked.

“Shut up!” Emil blushed immensely and grabbed Leon’s hand. “Let me see it.”

The bite was tiny, but it still bled.

“Come on.”

Emil dragged Leon back into the chamber and patched him up.

“It’s, like, not a big deal,” Leon said.

“Stop provoking him. He doesn’t like to be teased,” Emil said.

“Sounds like someone familiar to me.”

Emil smacked him upside the head. “I’m not going to save you next time he bites you. I’ll let you bleed to death!”

“Will you miss me if I die?” Leon snickered.

Emil frowned. Again, his cheeks burned. He tried to look away but Leon kept waving the panda’s arms in front of him.

“Will ya? Will ya?” He chuckled. “How do you feel now?”

“Stop it,” Emil growled.

“Just answer it.”

Leon giggled and walked around Emil with an amused look.

The alpha boy finally sighed and crossed his arms.

“Fine, I will.”

Leon stood still and blinked at him, still holding onto his panda.

“I will miss you,” Emil whispered.

It was now Leon’s turn to blush. He didn’t expect Emil to comply. He knew for one, his family might not care even if he disappeared. He was damn sure no one would remember him or mourn over his death.

“But you don’t die, so stop speaking trash,” Emil huffed and pinched Leon’s cheeks. He then looked down at the stuffed panda and patted its head.

“Thanks,” Leon eventually mumbled. It was barely audible but Emil caught it.

The only sound that resonated came from their pounding hearts.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got to update this! Sorry for the long wait :D Enjoy and tell me what you think :3


	4. Chapter 4

One day, while Leon was reading in the chamber, the door creaked open. He thought it was Tino at first until giggles reached his ears. The omega looked up from his thick, black-covered book and met those curious, large orbs. The boy was around eight. He had spiky, blond hair and blue eyes. His skin was pale like the rest of his family members. He was basically a miniature Mathias. The girl standing next to him with a straight, pouty face was probably his twin. She wore a frilly, purple dress. Her hair was light blond and those eyes reminded Leon of Lukas’.

After some dithering and whispering, the two kids decided to slip into the chamber. Leon stood up. They both took a step back.

“Hello, there, it’s alright,” Leon said. “I, like, don’t bite.”

The boy peeked at the girl. The girl huffed and shoved him forward.

“Ask him,” she hissed.

“Are you, like, looking for Emil?” Leon asked. He walked towards the kids and bent down a little. “You must be his younger brother and sister.”

The two children exchanged yet another dubious glance. Leon tilted his head slightly and smiled.

“Mind telling me your names?”

“Sigurd,” the boy mumbled.

“Lene,” the girl muttered.

“Cool, I’m Leon.” Leon held out his hand. The twins didn’t take it. Instead, they kept staring. Now, he knew what Emil was talking about when he said both his siblings were peculiar. They could be downright quiet or completely troublesome. The boy looked friendlier. He had Mathias’ goofy smile. The girl crossed her arms and scrutinised Leon unblinkingly. Both were gorgeous and dressed in elegant clothes. It made Leon wonder if Emil’s entire family did really descend from the heaven.

“Oh well, what brings you here, little ones?”

“Go ask him,” Lene urged, pushing her brother forward.

“Fine, I will!” Sigurd yelped and looked at Leon. “Are you big brother’s wife?”

Leon didn’t know how to respond to that question so he just opened his mouth wide.

“But I heard it ought to be a ‘she’!” Lene whispered.

“I know, that’s weird, isn’t it?” Sigurd whispered back.  “If he’s not the bride, then who is he?”

“Exactly,” Lene echoed with a nod and pointed at Leon. “Who are you?”

“What are you doing in big brother’s chamber?”

“I…er…well…you see,” Leon stuttered and scratched his head.

“Are you an intruder?” Lene narrowed her eyes.

“No!” Leon replied instantly. “I’m, indeed, your brother’s wife.”

“You are?” Sigurd chuckled and leapt at the older boy. He wrapped his arms around his waist. “That’s so cool! I didn’t know big brother’s wife is a boy! We can play together!”

Lene grimaced and walked away. She jumped onto the couch, her legs dangling languidly. The twins had come to take a peek at their big brother’s mate. They hadn’t seen Emil for a while and they hoped they could hang out with him.

“He doesn’t play with us anymore,” Sigurd said.

“He’s always hiding in his chamber,” Lene added.

“Or having his lessons.”

“Well, your brother has his duties to fulfil,” Leon explained and ruffled the boy’s hair. “It’s, like, a prince’s job to learn and prepare for his future responsibilities.”

“That doesn’t mean he can ignore us,” Lene grumbled.

“If you really, like, want a company, I can be one,” Leon said.

“What do you really know anyway?” Lene asked.

“Oh, I know a lot of stuff, princess.” Leon laughed.

He showed them a couple of magic tricks, turning trinkets into pigeons, making accessories appear and disappear around them. The twins watched in amusement. He snapped his fingers and a blooming, pink rose was stuck in Lene’s bangs. The girl giggled. He turned to Sigurd and smiled.

“You can freeze things like your brother, right?”

“Yup,” Sigurd said proudly.

“Okay, I’m, like, going to give you a gift,” Leon said. “I want you to freeze something for me.”

“Sure!” Sigurd shot his fist in the air. “There’s nothing I can’t freeze!”

Leon nodded. He held out his palm. A small fire emerged and floated in the air. Sigurd exclaimed and stared excitedly at the red flame. The boy had never touched one before. Lene leant in with the same eager expression.

“Come on, like, freeze it before it extinguishes,” Leon urged.

“Can I really?” Sigurd asked.

“Trust me, it’ll be awesome.”

Sigurd wrapped his small hands around the sparkling flame. He shut his eyes and opened them again. Ice surrounded the fire, trapping it inside a beautiful crystal cube.

“There you go.”

Leon handed Sigurd the crystal fire. It was a stunning blend of red and white. Sparks dotted the cube. The two kids gasped.

“This is so pretty!” Sigurd juggled the cube and bounced around joyfully. Lene pouted and snatched the cube, clutching it to her own chest. Sigurd tried to grab it back. The two kids started chasing each other.

“Woah, stop, stop fighting for the cube!” Leon yelled after the two running little demons. “I can, like, make a lot more with you, okay?”

They ended up making a hundred or so crystal fires. Some were as big as a vase. Some were small like a ring. Leon used one of them to make a necklace and gave it to Lene, who tittered gleefully and danced around.

When Emil entered the chamber, he was thunderstruck to find a mountain of scarlet crystals in one corner. He frowned and strode towards the stack of bizarre objects. Someone pushed the pile from behind. The crystals fell and buried Emil.

The two kids jumped out first and laughed. Leon snickered.

“What…is going on?” Emil managed to crawl back up. He was surrounded by a sea of glittering crystal fires.

“Don’t, like, unfreeze them,” Leon joked. “You’ll catch a fire.”

“What’re you up to?” Emil asked, immediately met by a tight hug from his two siblings.

“Oh dear, why are you two here?”

“We came to see you!”

“We waited for you to finish your lessons!”

“Let’s hang out!”

“What?” Emil looked at Leon in bewilderment. “You let them in? You…wait…you tell them who you are?”

“Yea,” Leon said. “I, like, asked them to keep our meeting a secret.”

“Big brother, you have a very beautiful wife!” Sigurd piped up, which rendered Emil awfully embarrassed.

“What-”

“And he plays with us!” Lene giggled and climbed onto Emil’s back, toying with his tousled white hair. “We become best friends with panda!”

Emil was speechless. He had never seen his siblings this elated. They clapped and sang and danced about, eventually dragging the two older boys into the secret garden. Emil refused to play those silly games with them, but after much teasing from Leon, he pouted and joined them begrudgingly. They spent the entire afternoon playing tag and treasure hunt.

“I told you they’re annoying,” Emil croaked. After an exhausting day of lessons and fooling around with his siblings, he lay idly on bed. Leon sat at the table drinking his tea.

“They do have a temper like you,” Leon agreed and then sneered. “Only better.”

Emil grunted and tossed a pillow at Leon. “I didn’t know you were that childish.”

“Says the one who, like, throws pillows at people.” Leon tossed it back.

“Shut up.”

Emil picked up another one and repeated his act. A pillow fight ensued. Half an hour later, the room was not only occupied by a ridiculously tall pile of crystal fires but also a sea of downy feathers. Emil and Leon rolled on the ground laughing. The feathers floated in the air and landed on them.

“Well, that was fun,” Emil blurted out.

“Tino will, like, be so stunned when he sees this.”

“Let him be.” Emil laughed and rolled over to face Leon. “How can you be so good with kids? I never know how to deal with them.”

“You don’t ‘deal with’ them, Emil.” Leon giggled. “You spend time with them.”

“I really can’t do it.”

“Not without me,” Leon teased.

“You think of yourself too highly, mister.”

“I don’t have any younger siblings,” Leon admitted. He knew how it felt to knock on his brothers’ doors but nobody answered. He knew how it hurt to see everyone else matured while he was stuck being the feeble one. He didn’t want Emil to miss all these precious times with his siblings. He deserved so much better because he had such a wonderful family.

“You, like, don’t have to find a place to fit in,” Leon murmured and stroked Emil’s hair. “You already have one.”

“I…don’t know.” Emil shook his head. He never knew how to get along with his family. He didn’t think he could let anyone in until he met Leon.

“They would be, like, so happy if we play with them again.”

Emil nodded.

After that day, Sigurd and Lene came around often. Sometimes, they would even have breakfast together. When Emil was away, Leon would read them stories, teach them magic tricks, play chess and hide-and-seek with them. When Sigurd brought a little sword he received on his last birthday, Leon showed him how to wield and swing it in the air. Lene would ask him to paint and make trinkets for her. He made her a tiara with orchids and sewed a mini stuffed panda for her. Whenever Emil returned from his lessons, he would see Leon laughing with the twins. As soon as they spotted him, they would drag him into the group. Tino brought in tea at four every day. He was more than pleased to find the chamber full of energy and laughter.

The tingle grew stronger and stronger. Emil found it increasingly hard to hide his blush or his thumping heart whenever Leon was around. He couldn’t resist it whenever he teased him, stroked his hair, caressed his cheeks and pinched his arms. It didn’t help that Leon’s scent was becoming more prominent and detectable. Emil wondered what was going on.

“I’m going out for a hunt today,” Emil said. He didn’t have lessons that day, but he wanted to be away from Leon for a while. He needed time to think for himself. Whenever they stayed close to each other, his heart would beat hysterically. He would sweat, blush and pant. Sometimes, he would feel a surging need. His body would shudder and his skin burnt when Leon’s scent entered his nostrils. He tried his best to sleep near the edge of bed at night. At one point, he made Leon’s panda sleep between them. Leon didn’t know why Emil was avoiding him. He noticed the changes and the return of Emil’s coldness.

“I’ll, like, go with you,” Leon suggested.

“No,” Emil rejected right away. “I need to practise on my own. Berwald will give me a test next week.”

“Where?”

“The forest.”

“You’re going there alone?” Leon asked, hugging his panda.

“Yes,” Emil said.

“Then, I should, like, totally accompany you.”

“No,” Emil said.

“Why not?”

“I don’t want you to come,” Emil mumbled.

“But-”

“Stop pestering me, would you?” Emil scowled. He didn’t mean to yell but Leon was being persistent. The sudden anger startled the omega boy. He stumbled back and stared at Emil with hurt. His smile faded.  He averted his gaze to the ground.

“If you, like, say so.”

“I’m leaving,” Emil muttered, trying to ignore his despondency. He trotted out of the chamber and slammed the door shut.

The forest was a few miles away from the palace. King Mathias and Queen Lukas were on a voyage and would only return in the evening. Emil took a horse and rode to the forest alone. He brought his arrows and bows. He wasn’t sure what to hunt and the forest was usually a forbidden premise without others accompanying him. He reckoned he just needed to take a break and get as far away from Leon as possible. His heart wouldn’t stop throbbing.

He didn’t realise he was lost until he found himself completely surrounded by enormous trees and bushes. The leaves rustled and the branches swayed in the breeze. There were other noises he didn’t quite recognise. He kept heading forward. It got darker as less sunlight filtered in. He hopped off his horse and sat down under a tree. He slouched against the bark and sighed. He might as well spend the entire afternoon here. He didn’t want to face Leon or this weird feeling swirling in his heart.

A feral growl interrupted his reverie. He stood up abruptly and scanned the surroundings.  There was a louder growl, followed by another one. Emil looked around nervously. He grabbed his arrows and bow. A monstrous creature leapt out from the bushes with a shriek. Emil gasped and quickly pulled the string. The arrow struck the grey, furry monster but it didn’t step down. It lunged at Emil. The boy dodged and jumped back. The creature howled. Soon, his pack appeared behind it. There were three…no…four werewolves prowling around Emil with their teeth clenched and red eyes sparkling with menace.

Emil shot again. One werewolf leapt at him and tackled him to the ground. He groaned and froze the creature. The remaining monsters lunged at the same time. Emil stood back up and ran. He shot one of them and froze the second one. The wolves howled, attracting more of their kinds.

One bounced onto his back and opened his giant mouth. A sudden flame engulfed the wailing creature and burnt it into ashes. Emil widened his eyes and spun around. Leon held out his hand.

“Come on,” he shouted.

Emil clasped his hand. Leon pulled him up onto the horse. They rode away, but the creatures were faster. They attacked and bit their horse, causing both boys to tumble to the ground.

They stood back-to-back. Leon built a fire wall around them. The creatures howled and backed down away from the scotching barrier. Emil took the chance to freeze those on his side. After the pack retreated, Leon grabbed Emil’s hand and they started running.

“Why would you, like, come to this kind of place?”

“It’s none of your business!” Emil snarled. “Why would you follow me!”

“If I didn’t, you’d have been drop dead by now,” Leon growled.

“No, I wouldn’t!” Emil seethed. “You aren’t supposed to leave the palace!”

“Well, I worried about you, okay?” Leon yelled and squeezed Emil’s hand. Emil glimpsed him, not wanting to believe those were tears in his eyes. Leon turned away and kept running. They went past a cave. They didn’t see the creature on the rock above their head. It leapt down.

“Emil, watch out!” Leon shoved Emil away. Sharp teeth delved into his shoulders like blades. They tore off a piece of his skin. His shirt was immediately soaked in crimson liquid. Leon managed to kick the creature away. Emil froze it into a cube and stared in horror at his bleeding partner. Leon pressed a hand over the large gash that sliced across his shoulder to his chest. He hobbled and collapsed.

“Leon!” Emil dashed towards him, catching him as he fell. The boy let out an anguished moan and slumped weakly against Emil.

“Hold on.” Emil’s voice quavered. He held Leon tightly. His eyes brimmed with tears. There was so much blood. He could see Leon’s flesh. Blood was seeping through his lips. His lids drooped.

“No, hold on, Leon,” Emil cried. “I’ll take you back to the palace now.”

He tried to drape Leon’s arm around his shoulder and help him stand but the boy fell again. He scooped up Leon’s body and hurried out of the forest. Soon enough, he caught sight of Berwald and Tino. They came along with some other guards.

“What’s happened?” Tino raced towards Emil in perplexity.

“Please…save him…” Emil could only sob. His face and hands were drenched in Leon’s blood. Tino’s face paled. They all hopped off their horses and rushed to help carry Leon’s body. Emil followed them back to the palace. All the time, he couldn’t stop thinking what if Leon died.

Leon panted. His entire body was on fire. They put him down on a bed and ripped open his shirt. The bite was deep and callous. A piece of his flesh was missing. Torrents of blood sputtered down to the sheet.

“Fetch the doctor! Now!” Tino commanded.

Everything was dark. The heat grew more intense. Before he knew it, he was crying, both in agony and in need.

“Oh no…” Tino shook his head and trembled. Leon was convulsing and clenching his fists. His scent enveloped the room.

“Berwald, get out with the others!” Tino shouted. “Now!”

Berwald nodded and ordered everyone out of the chamber.

“W-What’s going on?” Emil asked apprehensively.

Berwald frowned and answered in a low, worrying voice, “He’s in heat.”

They couldn’t find an omega doctor. Leon continued to writhe and cry. Tears streamed down his face. Emil couldn’t bear it. He aimed for the door but was yanked back by Berwald. Leon’s cries resonated. He was in so much pain. Emil couldn’t help but weep. The scent reached him. It was blended with iron. Leon was losing massive blood.

“Stay out!”

Emil turned around to meet his mother. Queen Lukas stomped down the hallway, still in his voyage outfit.

“Let me enter,” he commanded. Berwald and the other guards stood aside.

“W-Wait-” Emil tugged at his mother’s sleeve. Lukas squinted at him and growled, “You don’t want your wife to die, do you?”

Emil shook his head. Lukas ordered him away and barged into the chamber. Tino stood up with a perturbed expression. Lukas ran towards the bedside and glanced down at the squirming boy.

“I knew it,” he mumbled.

Leon opened his eyes and gasped. He bounced up and scooted away from Lukas.

“I…”

“Hush. Lie down unless you want to die.” Lukas shushed him and turned to Tino. “Hold him.”

Tino nodded and held Leon down.

“It’s going to hurt a little,” Lukas warned and closed his eyes. He placed his hand on Leon’s wounds and began to chant. The boy groaned. The gash glowed. For a moment, he felt nothing but pain. It was like thousands of nails were being hammered into his body. He cried. Tino gripped him sympathetically. Lukas continued mumbling his spell. The wound began to heal. Flesh and skin grew back to their places until only blood stains remained.

Leon wheezed and stopped shivering. Lukas withdrew his hand and stared at the boy. He glared at Tino.

“If I haven’t come in,” he growled, “how long are you planning to hide this from me?”

“Your majesty-”

“I…can…like explain…” Leon stammered with his eyes closed. “Please…don’t blame Emil.”

“Don’t talk,” Lukas ordered. “We’ll speak after your heat is over. Tino, clean and take care of him. Make sure no one else enters this chamber.”

“Yes, your majesty.” Tino nodded.

For the whole week, Leon drifted between dreams and reality. His body burnt. His heart throbbed. Tino was the only one who stayed beside him. When he wasn’t sleeping, he was squirming and crying. The heat was awful, as it always had been. In the past, he suffered alone. He would weep and writhe until he passed out. This time, it ached a lot more. All that flashed across his mind was Emil’s face. He couldn’t help mumbling his names repeatedly. He wanted to see Emil. He wanted to touch him. He wanted him to…

“Emil…” he cried out.

“Leon, you’ll get through this, trust me,” Tino reassured the boy and held his hand, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

“Emil…I want…him…” Leon admitted. “It…hurts…Tino…where’s he?”

“He’s trying to keep you safe,” Tino replied. “He doesn’t want to hurt you or make you regret anything…”

“Doesn’t…he…like…love me?” Leon blurted out in vague consciousness. Tears covered his pale face. Tino couldn’t determine if he was dream-talking. The sight was heart-breaking though. When he left the chamber, Emil was curling up like a ball on the ground. He heard everything. Leon’s cries. His pain. His name.

He stood up and looked at Tino imploringly. Tino shut the door and held Emil by his shoulders.

“I…want to see him…” Emil panted between words. He, too, was aching to see the boy inside. He wanted nothing but to touch and hold him. He needed to apologise for mistreating him before. He wanted to kiss and mate with him. Claim him. Make him his.

“Control yourself, Emil,” Tino said.

“But I…I hurt him,” Emil cried.

“He’ll forgive you, I’m sure,” Tino comforted and hugged the boy. Emil sobbed for a long time.

The excruciating week eventually passed. Leon was back to normal. He woke up one day to see Emil sitting by his side holding his hand. Emil smiled down at him. He smiled back.

“Hey…welcome back to life,” Emil said.

“I’ve, like, never died, have I?” Leon chuckled.

“No,” Emil mumbled and hugged the other boy. He burrowed his face into Leon’s shoulder to muffle his weep. “But close to. I thought I would lose you.”

“You said you’d miss me if I were gone.”

“I couldn’t stop…thinking of you, Leon,” Emil said. “You’re everywhere in my head. It’s crazy.”

“I know.”

Leon hugged him back. They said nothing else, simply clinging to each other in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally Leon got into heat xd  
> And Emil's magical power is actually a Frozen reference.


	5. Chapter 5

Queen Lukas was enraged. He broke the news to King Mathias and convinced him to confront Fire Kingdom. King Mathias thought it was unnecessary but his wife insisted. Queen Lukas ordered his servants to bring out his magic mirror. He draped a red cloak around him and waved his crystal cane. A whirlpool formed on the glass surface.

"Are you sure-"

"Come on, idiot." Lukas cut Mathias off and grabbed him by his collar. Together, they went through the mirror.

Emperor Yao was watching a dance show when two mysterious figures jumped down from the ceiling. They landed in a crowd of wiggling red bodies. Mathias whistled at those voluptuous black-haired folk dancers only to get a huge bump on his head.

"Wait, stop the music!" Yao shouted. "I'm sure as hell those two aren't my dancers."

The music stopped. All the dancers stiffened on the spot. Princess Anya let out an intimidating chuckle. Yao continued to munch his apple.

"About time," Lukas growled and stomped towards the man sitting on the throne.

"Queen Lukas! What a pleasure to see you on this lovely day! Would you like to watch a Chinese opera with us?" Emperor Yao jumped down and smiled. "Although I would say there's a better way to enter my palace?"

"Shut up," Lukas said and pointed his cane towards Yao. "You gave us the wrong bride!"

"Oh no, they found out!" Yong Soo yelped. Yao shot him a glare.

"Oh, did we?" Yao raised his eyebrows.

"I asked for a girl, not a boy," Lukas snarled.

"What's wrong with a boy?" Yao said.

"Is this a prank?" Lukas scowled. Mathias held him back. "Relax, Lukas."

"Shut up!" Lukas roared. "Explain to me why my son was married to a boy!"

"Leon is my son," Yao said plainly. "He's also a royal member. I don't see the problem. We struck a marriage deal. I provided you with a decent bride. You signed the free trade agreement. That's a very successful cooperation."

"It was supposed to be your daughter!" Lukas said. "Not your son."

"I couldn't give you my daughter so I gave you my son." Yao shrugged. "He's well-educated, tamed and dutiful. I'm sure he makes a better bride than Mei."

"That's not the point," Lukas said. "You deceived us. This is clearly an insult."

"Lukas," Mathias hissed. "We don't want any trouble here, okay?"

"I'm trying to settle this as peacefully as I can, but it seems your kingdom has shown us no respect whatsoever," Lukas declared and raised his cane. "I request a formal apology and immediate compensation."

"Are you waging a war with us?" Princess Anya giggled.

"If that's inevitable," Lukas said with narrowed eyes. He aimed the head of his cane at Yao. Cheng and Yong Soo leapt to the front in fighting positions. Princess Anya stood up with a faucet pipe and laughed.

"Then a war it would be," she announced.

"Stop," Yao glared at her and ordered her to sit down. She pouted. "I do not want a war with your kingdom, Queen Lukas."

"Well, what your kingdom has done suggests otherwise," Lukas growled and waved his cane. A beam of frost shot out, missing Yao by an inch and landed on the wall behind. Yao looked at the wall and then back at Lukas.

"I see," Yao sighed. "I guess it can't be helped then."

He snapped his fingers. A glittering sword appeared in his hand. He unsheathed the sword and pointed it at Lukas. "I do want to settle this peacefully but it seems you're determined."

"Oh I am." Lukas smirked.

"Lukas!" Mathias yelled and yanked his wife back. "What do you think you're doing?"

The alpha scolded his mate indignantly and snatched away his cane. Lukas bellowed back at his husband and pushed him away. He turned around and attacked Yao with bare hands. Yao blocked the ice with his sword and shot fire at Lukas.

"S-Stop!"

Just when the two men were about to strike each other, their sons jumped down from the ceiling. Emil landed on Lukas and they both collapsed. Leon landed on Yao. The two fell on the ground in a mess.

"Sorry, we miscalculated our landing position," Emil said.

"That's, like, totally not okay," Leon said.

"Emil," Lukas growled and struggled to get up with his son straddling his back. "Get off me. I'm fighting with him!"

"No, unless you promise me not to attack Leon's father," Emil said.

"Leon, get your ass off me," Yao whined. "You're torturing my old bones!"

"Drop your sword, Father," Leon said.

"What are you saying?" Lukas snarled. "This man cheated our kingdom. I won't let it slide."

"He tried to attack me!" Yao said.

"Stop whining like two babies!" Emil and Leon said simultaneously. They let go of their fathers and sighed.

"Mother, if you have to fight this kingdom, I'll fight you back," Emil said sternly. "I won't allow you to hurt Leon."

Lukas stared at his son in astonishment. Mathias laughed. Lukas punched him in the face and glared back at the two youngsters.

"I love him," Emil said aloud with a dark blush on his face. "I won't forgive anyone who upsets him, clear?"

Lukas wasn't sure if the age was finally getting to him or he had inadvertently travelled to another universe. Seeing Emil confess and stand up confidently was the last thing that would come true on his wish list. And yet, here Emil stood, shielding his omega and counteracting his own mother.

"That's so touching da-ze!" Yong Soo exclaimed and feigned a sob.

Everyone could feel the invisible barrier Emil had set around Leon. It was none other than an indication of pure possession. His scent was strong and clear. He wasn't afraid of what Lukas had to say. He was never going to let go of Leon.

"Fine," Lukas said after a long moment of awkward silence. "I suppose a war isn't the best solution after all."

"If they love each other, we should totally let them be!" Mathias chirped in.

"Yes!" Yong Soo echoed. Yao smacked him.

"I apologise," Yao sighed and shook his head in dismay. He walked up to Lukas earnestly. "My daughter…ran away with another man. It is an utter shame. We couldn't find her. We gave you my son instead. Apparently, we have deceived you. For this, we will offer your kingdom our greatest compensation. You name it."

"That'd be unnecessary," Lukas replied and turned around. "I can see that my son is happy with his current partner. I believe everything is settled then."

Emil and Leon returned to Ice Kingdom. Emil explained everything to his parents, how he met Leon and fell in love with him. The couple accepted their relationship. King Mathias was as delighted as ever. Although Queen Lukas wasn't particularly fond of Leon, he knew well he had changed Emil and turned him into a better person.

"You, like, saved my life," Leon said to Lukas and bowed sincerely. "I'm forever indebted to you."

"Don't mention it," the beta said. "I don't leave a family member dying."

Leon stared at Lukas in shock. Emil smiled. The queen only smirked and walked away with his husband.

"I don't get it," Mathias said. "I thought you wouldn't give in that easily."

"Well, I suppose I'm touched," Lukas said nonchalantly and snaked his arm around Mathias'. "To see our little Emil rebelling against us."

"Indeed, he's finally grown up. And all this time, I thought he wouldn't behave like an alpha."

"He finds something worth protecting and fighting for."

"And you know what?" Mathias grinned and looked at Lukas. "Love is the most beautiful thing one can ever fight for." He pulled his mate close and kissed him.

The story, of course, didn't just end there.

Emil and Leon became official partners. The two stayed in the palace happily. One day, Leon's family on the mirror. They told him that they had found Mei. She had already mated with Kiku. Yao took it rather leniently and decided to leave the couple in peace. Yao talked to Leon for hours. He told him that he had reflected on everything he had done. He loved Leon as a father would love his son. However, he had not demonstrated his affection properly or when needed. He asked for forgiveness. Leon forgave him. He was never angry with his father or his brothers. If it weren't for them, he wouldn't have met Emil and found the true love of his life.

They mated on Leon's sixteenth birthday. It was the best gift Leon could have ever received. Emil's family also held a grand party for the omega boy. He had never felt so cherished and loved before. Sigurd and Lene would refer to him as their older brother. They got along extremely well. Sigurd grew up and turned out to be a beta. He fell in love with a foreign prince from Magic Kingdom and got married at sixteen. Lene grew up to be an omega. She found her true love at one of the royal balls. She, too, left the palace after her marriage. The twins visited regularly and they would always gather as a warm family.

Emil eventually took the throne after King Mathias retired. He was hesitant and lost at first, not knowing if he could ever reign as well as his father. Leon stayed by his side and encouraged him. Three wars occurred during his reign. Pirate Kingdom invaded their fishing territories. To protect his people, Emil confronted King Arthur. The wars were surprisingly successful, rendering only one death. They won three of them. Leon didn't know whether he ought to laugh at Arthur or pity him. He looked so pissed when Emil slapped him with a giant, smelly cod. Trades flourished with Leon's help. He took charge of the treasury and due to his tie with Fire Kingdom, economy thrived.

Their firstborn came to this world when they were eighteen. It was a boy with light blond hair and dark eyes. They named him Eiríkur. He took after Leon's quirks and became quite a prankster in the palace. Tino would always have to chase after him while he set firecrackers all around the palace. Their second child was a beautiful girl with dark hair and purple eyes. They named her Bauhinia, Leon's favourite flower. She was shy and intelligent. She followed her brother around. They had a pair of twins some years later. And just for fun, they named them Panda and Puffin. The twins grew up to be really mischievous and polar opposites. They argued a lot. Yet, the family stayed together blissfully.

For once, both Emil and Leon believe that fairytale is true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for following the story till the end! Finally got this fiction done! Not the best ending, in my opinion. I'm planning on writing a sequel or another multi-chapter story with fairytale & omegaverse theme. Thanks for reading this by the way. Reviews appreciated! :D


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